Rachel Amber (Prequel)
'''Rachel Dawn Amber' (born July 22, 1994) is the deuteragonist of Life is Strange: Before the Storm. She was born in Long Beach, California and eventually moved to Arcadia Bay, Oregon. She attends Blackwell Academy and is one of the most popular students and a member of the theater group there. After saving Chloe one night, the two of them grow closer and become best friends. Their relationship is the central plot of Before the Storm. She and Chloe dream of leaving Arcadia Bay together as, according to Rachel, there's nothing keeping either of them there. Personality Like Max Caulfield, Rachel has an eye for images and art. Considering school performance in the effort put into being a model, she is a very ambitious person. She appears to have a caring personality, as she is well-loved by those close to her. Rachel also seems to have been more girly and idealistic than Chloe, reflected by her love of makeup and aspirations to become a model. Rachel is friendly, outgoing and good with people - traits that catch the attention of her peers and teachers, resulting in her popularity at school. Appearance When Chloe first sees Rachel in the old mill, she appears very different from the way she usually looks; she wears her hair in a ponytail and a dark studded jacket with several pins on it (the letter "a", a skull, and a British flag with writing on it) over a black t-shirt with a white image of a person playing guitar on it. She also wears several necklaces: a black choker with three studs on it, a green necklace with a silver pendant with a red jewel on it surrounded by a black circle, and a long black necklace looped over her neck several times with an animal fang on the end of it. She wears denim shorts over torn-up black leggings, black fingerless gloves, and black boots. She has a black belt with a silver belt buckle depicting a hand showing the middle finger, overlapping another black belt with studs on it; she also has a chain hanging from a hoop clipped onto her shorts. On her left hand, Rachel wears a black bracelet with a blue strip down the middle of it, and on her right hand she wears a thin black bracelet and her classic bracelet (which she gives to Frank in Life is Strange), a thick, brown-braided leather bracelet with silver-blue objects stuck on. Biography The following is what Chloe Price wrote about Rachel in her journal: How do you describe Rachel Amber? I've been trying to find the right words ever since we met. The crazy thing about Rachel is that I really should hate her guts. I mean, she's a straight-A student, beloved by everyone at school including students and teachers. She's super into acting and I hear she even does modeling on the side, which I imagine her District Attorney dad and Stepford housewife mom support her in. It all sounds like a recipe for awfulness. And yet, Rachel somehow is nothing like the privileged golden child type you'd expect. She's not like any type, actually. She's probably the most surprising person I've ever met. And that's not just because when we met she was helping me take down some skeevy assholes at a rock show. But it's just this feeling she gives off. Like when you're with her, anything is possible. Fuck, it really sounds like I have a crush on her, doesn't it? Here's hoping she reveals something really horrible about herself soon, like a stamp collection, or a love for cat memes. Something to make her a little less... indescribably awesome. Background Very little is known about Rachel before the events of the game apart from that she grew up in California. Episode One - "Awake" Rachel and Chloe meet at Blackwell in Chloe's second year. At a punk club, Rachel steps in to help Chloe, who got into a fight with two older guys that Chloe earlier agitated by spilling their beer. They spent the rest of the concert together dancing to Firewalk's music and they leave the concert together. The next day, Chloe bumps into Rachel on her way to Chemistry class. Rachel drags her into the Drama Lab where Rachel is preparing for the school play The Tempest. She drags Chloe into a debate to get a "fresh perspective" on a quote of the drama. Shortly after Rachel changes into normal clothes, she suggests that they should ditch Blackwell and go on an adventure. They jump on a train, play two truths and a lie and share some random facts about themselves. Chloe can then decide whether she would like to share headphones and listen to the music together or listen to the music alone. After a while Rachel tells Chloe to jump off the train to head to the park. Rachel and Chloe play a "game" while mimicking people in a park from a tower viewer. After a while, Rachel suddenly quits the "game" and decides to get wasted, despite being the one who suggested the game in the first place. After approaching the junkyard, Rachel seems out of it. Chloe has the choice to either talk to Rachel or to give her space. If you talk to Rachel, it causes Rachel to get angry at Chloe, only for Rachel to throw her bottle of wine at an object and look annoyed. If you choose to give Rachel her space, she will also get mad and throw her bottle of wine. Rachel then leaves the junkyard, leaving Chloe after a heartbreaking talk about Rachel not being able to be friends or as something more than friends with her anymore(depends on player decision). Before the episode ends we see Rachel and Chloe in front of a tree. Rachel tells Chloe about the couple they saw with the viewfinder, in which you come to find that Rachel's dad is cheating on her mother. They then apologize to each other, and Rachel asks for Chloe's lighter. She lights the picture on fire. Rachel then throws the flaming picture in the bin. She kicks the bin in anger, then screams as wind blows the flames into a nearby tree, causing it to catch fire. Relationships Family * James Amber - Rachel has a strong love for her father and trusts him completely. When Rachel witnesses her father kissing another woman their relationship is completely wrecked with Rachel angrily saying to Chloe that she "never wants to see his fucking face again". It is clear how strong their relationship had been in the past based on how devastated Rachel is. Rachel's father seems to care deeply about his daughter considering that he is seen speaking to Principal Wells and the police presumably regarding Rachel's disappearance. * Rose Amber - Although there has been no interaction between Rachel and her mother, it is clear that Rachel loves her deeply considering how heartbroken she is to learn of her father cheating on her. Friends * Chloe Price - It is clear that Rachel cares about Chloe as evidenced by Rachel protecting Chloe in the old mill as well as trying to getting her to open up more, particularly on the train. Rachel is shown to be very considerate towards Chloe and listens attentively when Chloe talks about her problems. Their argument in the junkyard could be seen to have somewhat rocked their friendship, however during the final scene of the episode Rachel is shown to admire Chloe's attitude and thinks she is a "badass" agreeing to leave Arcadia Bay with her. (See here for more information on their relationship.) * Justin Williams - Justin talks briefly about Rachel to Chloe saying that she helped him with Math showing that they get on fairly well. * Blackwell Students and Staff - Rachel seems to be liked by most everyone at Blackwell with Mr. Keaton, Dana and Hayden all being impressed by her. Enemies * Drew North - Rachel seems to be sympathetic towards Nathan Prescott and as a result was seemingly upset when Drew was bullying him. She appreciates that Chloe stood up to Drew. * Victoria Chase - Despite them acting as friends several times through the game, Victoria shows a distinct dislike for Rachel, which Rachel seems to be aware of. It is hinted that Victoria called Rachel a "slut" on the Drama Lab board (Chloe can comment here as well, defending Rachel), she tries to learn if Rachel is on drugs through Chloe thinking if the two are involved Rachel must be on drugs. Romantic * Chloe Price - There are many implications that Rachel's also harboring romantic feelings for Chloe. Depending on the player's actions, she can be encouraged to be open about her feelings for Chloe, if Chloe acts obvious about her feelings. Rachel constantly tries to hang out with Chloe and takes her along with her. During the Drama Lab scene, while Rachel shows off her outfit to everyone, she winks at Chloe. She also suddenly asks Chloe's opinion about the play: "Are Miranda's feelings for Ferdinand just inexperience and dramatic circumstances... or has she met the love her life?" If Chloe says: "It's true love," she will say: "Sometimes, when you meet someone who's going to change your life, you just know it, I guess," ''while looking into Rachel's eyes. This will impress her. Rachel will go to dressing room and ask Chloe to bring her belt to her. After Chloe brings her belt and asks if it's the right one, Rachel will say yes, but will continue to change her clothes instead of taking it. Flustered, Chloe has the option to come closer to Rachel to bring her belt. After she sees Rachel while changing her clothes she gets embarrassed. Rachel will flirt with her, asking if Chloe brought her flowers. If Chloe says she owes her, Rachel will say: ''"I'll hold you on that." During the Train scene, Rachel wants to get to know more about Chloe. They start to talk and the two girls start to get to know each other. After their adventure with the viewfinder, Rachel becomes angry all of a sudden but Chloe can't tell why. After they steal wine from a couple, Chloe wants to hang out in the Junkyard. Wondering why Rachel is acting this way, Chloe tries to comfort Rachel and get her attention. Rachel becomes even angrier and argues with her. While she is about to leave, Chloe begs her not to go. Rachel asks: "Why not?"; Chloe replies: "Because I don't want to ruin this the way I ruin everything else in my life." Rachel will ask: "And what is '''this' exactly?"'' If Chloe says it is friendship, depending on whether she showed her trust towards Rachel, Rachel will reply: "Is that all?" and will make it clear that she also wants something more. After that Rachel says she can't be friends with her anymore and leaves. If Chloe says it is something more, she will say: "Are you actually going to make me say it?" ''when Rachel insists on Chloe stating what "this" is. Chloe will also say that ''"whatever is going on between them is special." Rachel will leave after answering that she is truly sorry but she can't, even though she wants to. If Chloe didn't show her feelings of trust towards Rachel enough when Chloe confessed her feelings to her, Rachel will show her uncertainty, as she isn't sure about Chloe's feelings either. Memorable Quotes Theories * Towards the end of Episode 1, Rachel screams at the fire she started, causing the wind to mysteriously pick up. This could hint at the possibility that she may have an unusual ability like Max Caulfield in the original Life is Strange. *Many fans believe that along with having rewind powers like Max, she might also have mind reading powers. This is hinted in the train scene where you can hear Chloe's inner thoughts about hanging out with Rachel, where Rachel then make's a facial expression that suggests she might have heard her thoughts. It could also explain her easily winning "Two Truths and a Lie". Trivia * Between the events of Before the Storm and Life is Strange: Season 1, Blackwell Academy introduces a specialized two-year extended senior program, which explains why Rachel was still a student at Blackwell Academy in spring 2013 (else she would have graduated out of high school as a 12th-grade senior in spring 2012). * Rachel is ambidextrous, as revealed in the "Two Truths and A Lie" game in Episode 1. * During the game "Two Truths and A Lie" that Chloe and Rachel play on the train, she says that she's a Leo. Her birthday being July 22 makes her a Cancer-Leo cusp and not a true Leo or maybe Rachel prefers herself as a Leo but not a Cancer. This either is a mistake in the game or Rachel told two lies and did not even admit it. There is also a possibility that Rachel simply says she's a Leo and hides the fact that she's a Cancer-Leo cusp, either for an unknown reason or convenience. * Rachel tells Chloe she is a Leo. Being born on July 22, 1994 in California would make her 29 degrees Cancer unless she was born at 7pm or later. If she proudly identifies as a Leo, it is possible she is an astrology enthusiast and knows her own birth chart.. If so, she would be an Aquarius Moon and Capricorn/Aquarius/Pisces/Aries Ascendant. * According to Steph Gingrich, Rachel is a gamer. * Rachel is seemingly wearing no nail polish but she does have red toenails as seen in the Drama Club scene. This is an interesting parallel with Max in ''Life is Strange. '' Gallery Chloeandrachel.jpg Lifeisstrangerachelamber.jpg Life is strange before the storm-3.png 195878.png|Rachel distracting Chloe's attackers Concept art Rachel.jpg|Concept art used in Before the Storm racheltrain.jpg 20170831163829_1.jpg E1 s10 rachelphoto.tex.png| 10-year-old Rachel and her dad racheldancing.jpg| Rachel dancing in the old mill rachelpunk.jpg|Rachel noticing Chloe from the stage rachelpunk2.jpg|Rachel coming to save Chloe rachelchloepunk.jpg|Rachel saving Chloe Category: Characters Category:Characters (Before the Storm) Category: Female Characters Category: Female Characters (Before the Storm) Category:Episode 1: Awake Characters Category: Episode 2: Brave New World Characters Category: Episode 3: Hell Is Empty Characters Category:Blackwell Academy Students Category:Amber Family Category:Blackwell Academy Students (Before the Storm)